New title for male nurses?

[SinatraV]

I just found this forum today and I have very much enjoyed the last 4 hours of reading through most every post from the last 3 months. I find myself specifically drawn to the 2 posts I have read through their entirety about the female stereotypes associated with the term "nurse". While I am not as eloquently versed as some other members, I would like to point out a couple of observations that I made while reading the different points of view.

Let me preface it by saying that I had never given it much thought until tonight. I am an RN student so that somewhat eliminates the introduction controversy. I do however see the looks whenever someone asks me what I am going to school for and I tell them "Nursing." I also live in a place with a high Mexican immigrant population. Most of them from work know that I am going into the medical field but automatically assume that I am going to be a doctor. I find this interesting. I am married to my hero, who is also an RN, so I have accepted that dealing with this stereotype is necessary to join the nursing profession, but that was a decision that had to be addressed prior to enrollment. While I will state that the negative impact on my life has been nill, the stereotypes are observable.

Enough with the intro. It has become obvious that there are points in which both "sides" agree. As I have observed, everyone agrees that there are in fact feminine traits associated with the term nurse. It seems as well that everyone could agree that the best solution would be to increase public awareness so that these female traits become disassociated and the term nurse is no longer publicly recognized as gender specific. While that would be an acceptable solution for both sides of the renaming argument, I do believe that society could better adapt to this paradigm shift with the aid of a new name. I offer up this example. Everyone remembers when Claratin went on the market as an OTC drug. It was and still may be around 10 tablets/$20. I just purchased recently, at Wal-Mart on closeout, Claratin "Hives Relief" for 10/$3. As health care professionals we all know that the active ingredient, Laratadine 10mg, no matter how it is advertised, is still an antihistamine. My observation is that the marketing department recognized the need for a new name in order for the public to better redefine the uses of the same drug. Another point is that obviously the general public did not identify that it was the same and thus it was on sale for an 85% discount. An obscure reference to be sure, but I think that it does demonstrate the usefulness/effectiveness of a name change when redefining public image.

I have noted that none of the advocates of a name change seem to be ashamed of the profession. Neither is it what I call a "deal breaker" for them. They are proud of the services that they provide and would not want to do anything else. I saw one comment made to the fact that if the name changed, the profession would not so what's the point. I propose that if the name changed, the profession would not, it will only facilitate a change in the publics interpretation of that profession, so why not?

I very much look forward to involving this forum in my in my nursing education.

John

[badphish]

regmed-- i know u are in the US army as was i. im sure u have had the opportunity to train with other forces though , right?

stay safe in iraq bro. reminds me way off topic. i saw the documentary baghdad ER on hbo. great show if somewhat of a misnomer.

i operated independently out of the back of my ambulance "cracker box" for the persian gulf so ddnt get the chance at working as part of a team in war. on te other hand i was sure grateful for the clearing hospital and its hot soup and hot coffee after a 6 hr transport with a belly pain.


sorry bout straying off topic.

the whole nurse thing doesnt bother me. and to be honest call me what u want just dont spell my name wrong on my check.

[onetraveler]

I spent several years in EMS before going into nursing. To facilitate schooling I found that I really had to completely quit the fire dept and take a part time job in a local ER as a paramedic. It just didn't work out with the 24/48 shift schedule. I found the school work was too intense at times to manage working full time with school and hours of clinicals,YMMV.

Like you, I had to put up with "stretcher jockey," etc. but it was all in good fun. No one in EMS likes the term "Ambulance driver" though. There haven't been ambulance drivers in the USA in many years and it really does a disservice to an EMT or EMT-P to use that term. Calling a paramedic an ambulance driver is akin to calling a nurse a diaper changer. There's a lot more to the profession than just the basics. But being called a security guard was sometimes kinda funny. After all, we did wear a uniform similar to a "rent-a-cop."

There are euphemistic names for just about every profession I guess.

I worked in Memphis last year. The unit I worked on was predominantly African American. Or Black whichever is PC today.

I am a female RN. But there I was called the Caucasian Nurse. HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

If I were a man I think ( I don't really know I'm still thinking) I'd rather be called the male nurse but then again........

[sierra_lpn]

I like to refer to myself as "Lord of the Urinal".


I'm really not sure why...


...but I'm sure it's Tom's fault.

[sierra_lpn]

I never cared for the term male nurse. If they can't tell I'm a male by looking at me I have bigger problems than a title.

Actually, Tom, by looking at you I'd say you're an action figure.

[sierra_lpn]

Rather than re-name our profession for the sake of gender equality, gender acceptance in a non-traditional role, etc., we should focus our energy on educating the general public on the significant role nurses play in patient care.

And I'd like to reply to that Red, but I'm not sure what you've said...

[SoldierNurse]

And I'd like to reply to that Red, but I'm not sure what you've said...

Okay Mike, I'll try to break it down for you.

"Rather than re-name our profession for the sake of gender equality, gender acceptance in a non-traditional role, etc."

Nursing is considered a female profession, therefore some male nurses have suggested selecting a different name for the word nurse.


"...we should focus our energy on educating the general public on the significant role nurses play in patient care."

Rather than spending a lot of time & effort to find a title to replace the word nurse I say inform the public what it is exactly we nurses do.

Now, if you are still not clear to the meaning of my original post...

[Cammer]

If I were a man I think ( I don't really know I'm still thinking) I'd rather be called the male nurse but then again........

You could compare that to a female police officer being called a "policewoman," which is a term that is incredibly antiquated and went out of style sometime in the 1980s due to the objections of professional women.

The objection that is most commonly voiced by men in nursing, on this subject, is that being called a "male nurse" implies a different job description than being simply called a nurse. Since gender has no relation to job function or responsibilities, a gender specific job title has no place in our profession.

The other day something upset me a bit. I overheard a conversation between a charge nurse and a department manager, both female, where one asked the other to try and be sure to put at least one male nurse on the schedule for a particular shift. This was asked in the context of a very heavy patient currently in the department and the fact that there wasn't a CNA scheduled. So perhaps men really are viewed by some women to have a different job description. A job description that not only involves taking a full patient load, but also includes moving every patient in the department that is deemed to be too heavy for a woman to move. Every time a patient needs to get from a chair to bed, or bed to chair, or up to a commode, etc. Sorry, I don't mind helping, but it does get old, and I have just as much charting and other responsibilities as everyone else. So please only ask if you really need the help.

[Ricu]

You could compare that to a female police officer being called a "policewoman," which is a term that is incredibly antiquated and went out of style sometime in the 1980s due to the objections of professional women.

The objection that is most commonly voiced by men in nursing, on this subject, is that being called a "male nurse" implies a different job description than being simply called a nurse. Since gender has no relation to job function or responsibilities, a gender specific job title has no place in our profession.

The other day something upset me a bit. I overheard a conversation between a charge nurse and a department manager, both female, where one asked the other to try and be sure to put at least one male nurse on the schedule for a particular shift. This was asked in the context of a very heavy patient currently in the department and the fact that there wasn't a CNA scheduled. So perhaps men really are viewed by some women to have a different job description. A job description that not only involves taking a full patient load, but also includes moving every patient in the department that is deemed to be too heavy for a woman to move. Every time a patient needs to get from a chair to bed, or bed to chair, or up to a commode, etc. Sorry, I don't mind helping, but it does get old, and I have just as much charting and other responsibilities as everyone else. So please only ask if you really need the help.

Hey Cam,

I agree with everything you just wrote. It seems to be very difficult in the case of heavy lifting to say there is no double standard. In reality, with specialized equipment available, there should be no need to make such staffing accommodations. Furthermore, is the average male nurse that much more physically able than the average female nurse to do such heavy lifting?

R

[Marie_LPN]

I like to refer to myself as "Lord of the Urinal".


I'm really not sure why...


...but I'm sure it's Tom's fault.

As long as you aim into it, lol j/k